One Step At A Time
by Amorexanimo
Summary: This tale takes place in Marauder time, and James has a twin sister, Alessandra. It mostly has to deal with the ties of Alessandra to the rest of the group, including Snape.
1. Prologue: Introductions

One Step At A Time By: Siriuslover  
  
Prologue  
  
Severus stepped off the Hogwarts train and looked up to see a towering giant standing in a crowd of students.  
  
"All firs' yeas dis way," The giant called and led a strand of first years towards the moat that surrounded the towering Hogwarts castle.  
  
People pushed from all sides to get to the boats. Everyone felt anxious, scared, and excited all at once, and to Severus that was a deadly combination. As the crowed pushed through he ended up getting pushed from behind right into the girl who was walking in front of him, and he tripped on his face, no one caring to help him up.  
  
Alessandra was starting to get mad; she had lost her brother a while back. He had met some friends on the train and didn't care to introduce her to any of them. She was getting fed up with the tightness of the line, she was starting to loose her breath and wouldn't be able to take this enclosed space amongst the fellow young witches and warlocks for much longer. The truth was she was claustrophobic and knew she would pass out soon if she didn't get out of this enclosed space.  
  
She was walking along with the crowd eager to reach wherever they were going soon, when she was shoved from behind. She spun around only to see that the person who had shoved her had been shoved also and had fallen flat on his face. Alessandra fought against the flow of the crowd and went back to where the boy was getting up. The boy was thin and bony with a black tangled mess of greasy hair that hung down to the nape of his neck. When she reached him she held out her hand to help him up.  
  
Severus pushed himself off the ground and tried to get up again, but with the flow of students that was a mere impossibility, he was just glad that he hadn't been trampled. Suddenly a hand shot out towards him. He looked up into the deep blue eyes of the girl he had just been shoved into. She had an extremely pale complexion and her face still held a quite a bit of baby fat, which contradicted with the rest of her stick thin body. He then tore his gaze away from her eyes and back to her hand, and reluctantly took it.  
  
Alessandra helped the dark eyed boy up and found they were again swept into the rush of students. Soon enough they reached the boats. Alessandra climbed into the first boat, took a deep breath and looked around for the boy she had helped earlier, but he was nowhere to be found. She sat in the boat, and seconds later felt other people climb in she looked up only to see her brother and his new friends.  
  
"We are survivors," the friend with nicely cut black hair and sparkling blue eyes stated as he sat down on the edge in the middle of the boat.  
  
James looked at Alessandra, seeing how pale she was, and quickly moved beside her.  
  
"Are you, okay?" James asked, he knew about Alessandra's claustrophobia and had been able to feel that she was distressed within the crowd.  
  
"I'm much better now," Alessandra said and gave James a smile then it slowly disappeared and then replied in an almost cold tone. "Really didn't think you cared, since you just abandoned me on the train."  
  
"Sorry," He replied with a solemn face, then smiled and continued. "But what are little sisters for, if you can't ditch them every once in a while?"  
  
"I'm glad you think so highly of me, and only by a few minutes!" Alessandra stated.  
  
"A few minutes which I was already born," James said.  
  
"We are both the same age, we were conceived at the same moment. Just because you got out of the womb quicker just goes to prove how stubborn and impatient you are," Alessandra said and then laughed.  
  
"Stubborn and impatient," James said as if carefully considering it. "Yep, that's me."  
  
"I feel hurt! Emotionally scarred, James," The black haired blue-eyed friend stated getting both James and Alessandra's attention. "Are you not going to introduce us to your friend?" he said gesturing to the other two friends who were on the boat.  
  
"Friend?" James asked. "What friend?"  
  
Alessandra felt her mouth drop and she slapped James in his stomach.  
  
James grinned and looked at her as if he finally understood. "Oh, you mean this brat here? She's just my little sister."  
  
"Only by a few minutes!" Alessandra replied.  
  
"Twins?" Inquired one of the other friends, who had dark blonde hair and tiny golden pigments incrusted in the hazel colored iris of his eyes.  
  
Alessandra caught the comment back, before James could catch it. "Unfortunately, hard living with someone so dumb."  
  
The guys laughed over this, even James.  
  
"By the way, the name is Sirius Black," said the boy with the dark hair and blue eyes as he put out his hand.  
  
Alessandra accepted his hand and shook.  
  
"Remus Lupin," the hazel/golden specked eyed friend said as he made the same gesture as Sirius.  
  
The third friend said nothing at all.  
  
"Alessandra Potter," She said as she extended her hand out towards him. His eyes were a dark gray and his hair had a mousy look to it.  
  
After a couple seconds he extended his chubby hand and shook hers. He acted completely shy and withdrawn and Alessandra wondered why her brother had chosen someone such as him for a friend.  
  
"Peter Pettigrew," The plump little boy said and then took a seat in the back of the small boat.  
  
Alessandra sat in the middle of the boat right before the boats jerked and began their journey towards the Hogwarts castle.  
  
"Anyone else excited?" Alessandra asked as she grabbed a hold of the peoples' arms on either side of her. One was James' arm, and the other belonged to Sirius.  
  
* * *  
  
"SLYTHERIN!"  
  
Severus was greeted by several, rather glum faced, people as he made his way to the table. This table was not as enthusiastic about the sorting as other tables. Severus took a seat at one end and looked over the entirety of the Main Hall.  
  
Soon the food appeared and everyone ate a rather hefty meal. Then after everyone had finished eating, Headmaster Dumbledore announced that it was time for bed, and the students obeyed.  
  
On the way out of the hall Severus was tapped on the shoulder. He turned around and saw the girl who had helped him up. He saw her being sorted into Gryffindor and from what he caught of several conversations Slytherins were not to socialize with Gryffindors.  
  
He watched people leave the Great hall. Slytherins were glared at the both of them, and Gryffindors glared at him.  
  
"I figure I might as well introduce myself," Alessandra said as she outstretched her hand. "Alessandra Potter."  
  
He simply looked at her hand and then looked back up to her eyes.  
  
"You're a Gryffindor," he stated simply.  
  
"Yea and you're a Slytherin, so what?" She said as she pushed her hand in front of his face again.  
  
"We can't be friends."  
  
"Excuse me? Why can't we be friends?" Alessandra asked as she dropped her hand and placed her other hand on her hip.  
  
"Because you're a Gryffindor," and with that he disappeared into the mass of people leaving the Great Hall.  
  
"Alessandra, hurry up," Called the girl with red hair and green eyes whom Alessandra had met during dinner. She had said that her name was Lily Evans. 


	2. Chapter One: Surfaced Emotions

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling, and am not receiving any funding for this story.  
  
Chapter One  
  
A little over six years had passed, and each person developed into his or her own mind. James was named Head Boy, and Lily Head Girl in their house, Gryffindor. Along with being Head Boy, James was named Gryffindor Quidditch captain, and Sirius played along side him on the Quidditch field. Alessandra was a Gryffindor prefect and she and Lily were considered the prettiest and most popular girls in their house. Remus had stayed out of the spotlight, besides the fact that he played a best friend to two of the most popular Gryffindor guys. Severus had been swallowed into the rituals of the Slytherin house and would enter the world of death eaters just as soon as he graduated. Then there was Peter, whom was a friend to Remus, Sirius and James but he was out of the limelight and lurked in the shadows of the school barley known, choosing not to be known.  
  
The Gryffindor common room was full with people speaking of the upcoming Quidditch match the next week and others trying to finish their weekend homework.  
  
"I'll be right back," Lily said as she stood up from the table her and Alessandra were studying at and walked up to her dorm.  
  
Alessandra looked over to where her brother, Sirius and Remus were talking secretively like they always did. She got up and walked over to the couch where they were sitting and saw Sirius look up briefly to see her coming and hissed, "Shh," at them.  
  
Alessandra decided she probably didn't want to know what they were talking about, if it involved her brother.  
  
"So, what's up?" Alessandra asked as she sat intentionally on Sirius' lap and rested her legs on James and Remus.  
  
Along with Sirius being one of James' best friends he was also one of Alessandra's. Alessandra was thankful for that fact; because she knew no jerk would try to pull anything on her once they knew she was James Potter's sister plus a friend of Sirius Black who was infamous for his lack of ways to deal with his short temper.  
  
The three immediately looked at her.  
  
"Not much, just talking," James said as he kept looking up to the tower where the girl's dorms are located.  
  
"Why do you keep on looking up there?" Alessandra asked, right before hearing a loud crash.  
  
"JAMES!"  
  
"That answers my question," Alessandra said as she looked up to the dorm rooms to see Lily come storming down the stairs.  
  
"Move it," James said as he shoved Alessandra's legs off of him and started running towards the portrait hole.  
  
"She found it!" Remus said, laughing, as he watched James shoot out through the portrait hole.  
  
Lily stormed into the commons area.  
  
"Where is he?" She asked pointedly to Sirius and Remus who were trying unsuccessfully to cover up their laughs. Lily scanned the commons room only to find that the portrait door was sliding shut and quickly left through it in search for James.  
  
"So what did James do this time?" Alessandra asked as she shifted off of Sirius' lap to sit where James had just been.  
  
"I'm sure you will find out from Lily soon enough," Remus stated with an amused look on his face.  
  
She looked over to Sirius and saw the same look on his face. They weren't going to say anything.  
  
"If you won't tell me, I'll find out for myself," Alessandra stated and before anyone could protest she rushed out through the portrait hole to find James and Lily.  
  
Sirius and Remus sat there for a few seconds, considering their situation, but quickly gave into curiosity.  
  
"I wonder if Lily has caught James yet," Remus stated giving Sirius a curious look.  
  
"There's only one way to find out," Sirius said and both he and Remus started after them.  
  
* * *  
  
Severus sat amongst the fellow seventh year Slytherins in their commons room. They had formed a circle and were discussing the initiation for becoming a death eater.  
  
"It is our time," One Slytherin hissed.  
  
"This is our year to prove that we are worthy for the dark lord," said another on the opposite side of the circle.  
  
"What are the tasks?" hissed another voice.  
  
"There's several this year, but you must only accomplish one," stated a shadowed figure in the middle of the circle. "Some are more complicated than others, but others are."  
  
"The list, show us the list," hissed the first Slytherin, cutting the other off.  
  
"You must learn patience, for the dark lord will punish you if you do not learn patience for him," stated the Slytherin in the middle. "The tasks have been pre selected for each student, with an alternative task if you refuse the first.or are unable to accomplish it," continued the Slytherin in the middle as he started to distribute papers to each seventh year Slytherin, which held their task. "But be warned if you do the alternative task, you will be punished by the dark lord, but will be able to call yourself a death eater."  
  
Severus received his task and read it.  
  
"Of all the bloody things!" He hissed gaining the attention of every Slytherin in the circle. He quickly straightened up. "The task shouldn't take long to accomplish."  
  
"All of you, leave now, and work on accomplishing your tasks," The Slytherin smiled and walked up to his dorm.  
  
"What is your task?" asked another Slytherin seventh year, Falcon Avery. "Mine is to perform the Cruciatus Curse on a teacher or."  
  
"I'd rather not know," Severus stated as he walked away. His task had to be one of the most difficult. If he could point his wand at a teacher and cry out 'Cruccio' that would be far better than the task he ended up with.  
  
He looked at the paper again and shoved it into the pocket of his robes. He didn't know if he'd be able to accomplish the task, but he knew that he had his work cut out for him whether he accomplished it or not.  
  
* * *  
  
Sirius and Remus caught up with Alessandra at the corner where the edge of the Gryffindor hall way meets the main building of the castle where classrooms were located.  
  
Alessandra spun around as she heard footsteps approach. When she saw Sirius and Remus she quickly left from the corner, and on her way past grabbed both their hands.  
  
"You're right, it was a bad idea," Alessandra said as she pulled both guys towards the Gryffindor tower.  
  
"I never said it was a bad idea. What did you see?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Nothing," she stated and continued to pull them back towards the tower.  
  
Sirius looked back at the corner. He wanted to know what Alessandra had seen. He ripped his hand from Alessandra's grip and did a complete 180 back to the corner.  
  
"Sirius, don't," Alessandra hissed, but it was too late.  
  
Sirius rounded the corner and saw something he'd actually wasn't very surprised to see.  
  
Lily had James pinned against the wall and they were kissing each other. Sirius watched as James pulled away to place a strand of red hair out of Lily's face and leaned down to kiss her again.  
  
At that moment he felt a hand grab him and yank him out of the corridor. At the suddenness of pull he lost his balance and ended up pinning Alessandra right against a wall. Sirius caught his breath as he thought of the situation that Lily and James were in, and now looking at the situation he was in.  
  
For the first time he realized just how much Alessandra's body had matured since their first year at Hogwarts. Her and Lily were the most sought after girls in Gryffindor, but that had never really fazed him before, but now that he was so close to Alessandra he could almost taste the intoxicating aroma of strawberries that filtered off her skin. He wasn't supposed to feel like this, especially for James' little sister.  
  
'But only by a few minutes,' a voice in his head called.  
  
Alessandra looked up into Sirius' eyes and immediately recognized the look his eyes held, the look held in the eyes of every guy who had ever lusted after her. She also realized the situation they were in, and felt her stomach fill with butterflies at the heat of Sirius' body against hers. Before she could think Sirius placed his hand on the side of her face and gently lifted her chin. At this her thoughts seemed to clear, and she firmly placed the palm of her hand against his chest and gave him a firm shove.  
  
"Don't get any ideas," Alessandra practically breathed as she bit her bottom lip and made her way towards the Gryffindor common room, alone.  
  
Sirius watched the sway of her hips as she walked away.  
  
"Earth to Sirius," Remus stated repeatedly, and laughed when Sirius looked at him with a confused look on his face.  
  
"Remus, I think I've gone temporarily insane," Sirius stated then answered to the confused look on Remus' face. "Is it me or is Alessandra.sexy?"  
  
Remus laughed. "Well it only took you three years longer than the rest of the school to notice."  
  
"What are you two doing here?" James' voice called from the end of the hall that led to the Gryffindor tower.  
  
Sirius and Remus spun around and when they say Lily and James standing there they both smirked.  
  
"We should be asking you the same thing, but we already know the answer to that question," Sirius said and he and Remus laughed.  
  
Lily blushed deeply. "I'm going to go back to the tower. I'll talk to you later?"  
  
"Yea, of course," James replied with a nod and watched the sway of Lily's hips as she walked back to the tower.  
  
"Yea, of course," Sirius mocked.  
  
"Shut up, we've got to go to Quidditch practice," James said turning to go to the Quidditch field. They stored their brooms in their lockers in the locker rooms so the brooms were already waiting for them to practice.  
  
On their way towards the field Remus stopped abruptly and looked at his watch.  
  
"Hey, I got to go see Headmaster Dumbledore," Remus stated.  
  
"Ok, see you tonight then," James said giving Remus a wink and a nod.  
  
When Remus went in the direction of Headmaster Dumbledore's office, James and Sirius turned back towards the Quidditch field and made their way to practice.  
  
* * *  
  
Lily and Alessandra sat in their dorm with a bag of Chocolate Frogs they were munching on.  
  
"You, Remus and Sirius all saw?" Lily asked. Her face was growing redder by the second.  
  
"Well, really only me and Sirius, but I'm sure Remus got the idea" Alessandra said as she giggled. "Who would have thought my brother and my best friend?"  
  
"Well, at least you don't object to us," Lily said gratefully.  
  
"Why would I?" Alessandra asked.  
  
"I don't know. I just thought maybe that's the way it was supposed to be, because James always objects to the guys who like you," Lily said quietly as she reached into her the bag for another frog.  
  
"Well, that's just James for you," Alessandra laughed.  
  
Lily's back straightened as she looked like an idea came in her head. "Wait, if you, Sirius and Remus were all there.then where were you when I was coming back to the tower?"  
  
Alessandra's eyes dropped as she picked up a frog for herself. "I just wasn't dumb enough to get caught spying on my brother snogging my best friend."  
  
Lily hit Alessandra with her pillow and the two girls got into a huge pillow fight, which ended with feathers all over their room.  
  
After Lily and Alessandra tired of the game Alessandra picked up her wand, which had fallen out of her robe.  
  
"Luere," Alessandra shouted out the cleaning spell and within seconds all the feathers were gathered up and disposed of.  
  
Lily sat on her bed with a sad look on her face. "One more year."  
  
Alessandra walked over to the window and could see the sun starting to set and the full moon shown, even in the brightness of the daylight. "One more year to make memories that will last a lifetime."  
  
"We should get to bed," Lily suggested as she climbed under her sheets.  
  
"What about dinner?"  
  
"Oh, who cares?"  
  
Lily was soon fast asleep, but Alessandra stayed where she was, staring out the window and watched as the full moon climbed to the top of the sky.  
  
* * *  
  
James and Sirius exited the Gryffindor locker room as the sun was making it's decent behind the horizon.  
  
"Are we making our trip, tonight?" Sirius asked as they walked up to front entrance of Hogwarts.  
  
"What do you take me for?" James asked in a mockery of an offended tone. "Of course we are," There was a slight pause then James stopped abruptly. "Have you seen Wormtail lately?"  
  
"No, I haven't," Sirius stated looking as if he were almost in deep thought. "But he will show up. He always does."  
  
James laughed and he and Sirius continued to make their way to the entrance of Hogwarts. 


	3. Chapter Two: Conflicts

CHAPTER TWO  
  
The full moon reflected off the lake as an invisible figure came to stand at the edge of its calm waters. The reflection of a person slowly appeared in the lake as the figure standing beside it removed their invisibility cloak.  
  
Alessandra let the invisibility cloak fall to the ground as she sat beside the lake. This seemed to have become a ritual, to sneak out of the school at night to think. There was nowhere else in Hogwarts where she could truly sort through her thoughts. It was the way the wind teased her hair and whipped stray strands around her face, she absolutely loved it. It seemed to help her think more clearly. She tried to avoid coming out on nights when there were full moons. There were rumors about werewolves in the forbidden forest, and she didn't care to come face to face with one, but it couldn't be helped tonight. Her mind was too congested to wait for the full moon to subside.  
  
There was so much to think about, but no matter how hard she tried to keep her inner thoughts from drifting, she caught herself thinking about that afternoon, when she saw that look in Sirius' eyes. 'Why, of all things, does my mind decide to plague me with the memories of that incident?' Her thoughts cried out in the back of her mind. After six years of knowing him they had grown close, but what happened that afternoon scared her. The memory of the look in his eyes, the desire that seemed to be revealed at that moment seeped through every ion of her being. Was it just her mind playing tricks on her? No, it wasn't her mind. She could still feel the butterflies return whenever she thought of the sensation when Sirius touched her face. Her mind wandered helplessly, wondering where it all would have lead if she hadn't pushed him away. Would they have ended up in the position they had caught James and Lily in. If they did, would it have been so wrong?  
  
Then there was their friendship to think about. What if a something serious, such as a relationship, didn't work out? Would they be able to remain friends, or deep down was the whole basis of their friendship built on some subconscious attraction that they felt? She didn't want to risk losing him as a friend, but what if he turned out to be the one? Everything was so complicated and she realized that it would take several trips to the lake to figure it all out.  
  
In the mists of her deep thoughts Alessandra didn't notice that the wind died down, and her ears didn't care to hear the crunch of footsteps approaching from behind her.  
  
He knew where to find her. It was no secret, to those who cared to know, that she often wandered out to the lake at nights. He just needed to ask the right people and he had all the information he needed. He smirked at the fact that he could easily manipulate any situation to work to his advantage.  
  
He carefully considered his task. He would be perfectly able to do the alternative task, but he would rather not be placed in the dark lord's bad graces without at least attempting the first task. He didn't want to try it, because not only was she James Potter's sister, she was also the girl who's friendship he had turned down years ago. It was as if the dark lord knew it would bother him, and that he would possibly refuse.  
  
As he approached where Alessandra sat the wind that had been steadily blowing died down suddenly. His stomach sank as he realized what he was ready and willing to do in order to accomplish his task. His hand reached for an object in his robes, and he pulled out a piece of metal that shimmered in the moonlight. He winced as he dragged the point of the sharp object across the palm of his hand, creating a deep wound, which immediately started to bleed. He quickly placed the pocketknife back into his robe and waved his hand quickly around the air and then pulled out a thin bandage from his robes and placed it on the cut. The bandage was just enough so the blood wouldn't start pouring down his hand. He didn't want her to know what he was up to.  
  
He took a few more steps and stopped. He lingered behind her for a moment, giving his plan some time to work. He then took a few more steps and leaned over beside her, to where he was able to whisper into her ear. Before a sound came out, his senses were invaded by the fresh smell of Strawberries.  
  
"You smell as good as you look," His voice penetrated the silence.  
  
Alessandra jumped at the sound of the voice. She quickly whirled around and looked up at the possessor of the voice.  
  
"Snape!" Alessandra hissed then rose from her position on the ground and quickly reached for her invisibility cloak, but Severus reached it mere seconds before she could.  
  
"You know I do have a first name," he stated cynically as he twisted the silver liquid-like material in his hands.  
  
"I don't give a Hades that you have a first name, let alone what it might be," Alessandra stated as she quickly lunged forward to grab her cloak. Severus stepped to the side, which caused Alessandra to tumble to the ground.  
  
"If you want it back you could just ask," he said as he reached out for Alessandra to take his hand.  
  
Alessandra considered the situation; it almost seemed to hold a sense of irony in her eyes. Had she not help him in a similar situation six years ago? Then she thought of the way he had treated her afterwards.  
  
"You're a Slytherin," She stated in a sarcastic tone, and helped herself up from the ground.  
  
Severus pulled back his hand and scoffed at the comment. "Yea and you're a Gryffindor. So what?"  
  
Alessandra looked at him as if he had sprouted a second head.  
  
"What are you up to Snape?" Alessandra asked then grabbed for her cloak, which he gave up without further struggle.  
  
"I'm not up to anything. I was just wondering why a prefect decided to take a midnight stroll on the night of a full moon," he said making a point to look in her eyes, and seem as truthful as he could be.  
  
Alessandra considered not answering the question, but then she looked into his eyes, and they seemed almost sincere. She really didn't know what to think. 'This is Snape!' Her head cried out. 'What in bloody Hades are you doing still standing here?'  
  
"So, are you going to answer my question or just going to stand there all night deciding whether or not to answer it?" Severus' voice broke through her thoughts.  
  
Alessandra looked up, stunned for a moment until she saw the smirk starting to form on his face, then she simply smirked back and turned to leave.  
  
"Wait. Don't go," Severus cried out, if she left now then the plan would be ruined.  
  
Alessandra turned around, and slowly her demeanor started to melt as a look of fright came over her features.  
  
"A...a...the...Sna..." Alessandra started to stutter as she pointed to behind Severus.  
  
Severus quickly spun around to see his plan staring right back at him.  
  
Four creatures lurked in the heavily wooded part of the Forbidden Forest. The pack consisted of a werewolf, a big black dog, a stag, and tagging along in the back was a small rat.  
  
The pack had journeyed across half of the Forbidden Forest, already, that night. Their trek came to an end, however, when the werewolf stopped suddenly and started to sniff the air. The stag and dog exchanged curious looks as the werewolf changed their course.  
  
The werewolf stalked along quickly and the smell in the air drew stronger, the mouth of the werewolf watered profusely. The dog and the stag tried smelling the air, but couldn't smell anything. The rat just tagged along in the back, not thinking anything out of the unusual was occurring.  
  
The stag and dog halted as they realized they were heading out of the Forbidden Forest. The rat finally figured something was happening and scampered up to the edge of the forest behind the werewolf to see what was going on.  
  
The werewolf continued out of the Forbidden Forest in a slow, stalking, manner. The rat squeaked out and the dog and stag joined beside it immediately to see what was going on.  
  
At the site before them, the stag and dog immediately leapt ahead to stop the werewolf.  
  
"A werewolf!" Alessandra was finally able to cry out.  
  
It was part of his plan, but all thoughts of it escaped Severus' mind at that moment as he backed up to shield Alessandra from the massive werewolf that stood before them.  
  
The massive werewolf's eyes held a hunger as it stalked closer. A low growl emerged from the depth of the great beast's throat.  
  
"Run!" Severus finally called out as he spun around, knocking into Alessandra and sending her sprawling on the ground and ran for his life.  
  
The werewolf leapt on Alessandra with its front paws on either side of what it thought to be its next victim.  
  
Alessandra started to hyperventilate before passing out. The werewolf opened its massive jaws when it was attacked from the side by a big black dog. The impact from the attack sent the werewolf flying several feet away. The werewolf quickly regained its balance and lunged back at the dog. The werewolf was acting mad as it swiped at thin air and howled loudly.  
  
Severus had reached half way to the building when his plan entered his head again. 'Bloody muggle loving git,' his mind cursed himself as he turned back around to retrieve Alessandra.  
  
The stag reached Alessandra and slowly sniffed at the body. When the stag saw Severus approaching it quickly jumped in the path and lowered its head in a challenge.  
  
"Move, you mongrel," Severus shouted, but the stag stayed put and only lowered its head further in a challenge. "Do you want me to save her, or not?" He cried out.  
  
The stag lifted its head and looked at the person standing in front of it for a moment, as if assessing the situation before it, almost reluctantly, moved aside.  
  
Severus reached Alessandra, and gently lifted her into his arms and rushed towards the castle.  
  
When Severus was safely inside the castle walls he entered an abandoned classroom and carefully placed Alessandra down on the cold floor. He then took off his cloak and placed it under her head, and then checked her body for any scratches or bites of any kind and breathed a subconscious sigh of relief when he realized she was unharmed.  
  
He finally felt his own exhaustion as he backed up against the closest wall, and slid silently to the ground, and sat there watching Alessandra. He finally noticed how much she had changed since the night they met, over six years ago. Her body was still very thin, and showed no signs of imperfection, except her unusual paleness.  
  
He slumped lazily against a cabinet that stood beside the wall, and after awhile his eyes slowly closed.  
  
Several minutes passed and the dim moonlight that shone through the small window started to fade. A slit of moonlight fell across Alessandra's closed eyes and in the light of the moon a birthmark on her right eyelid that could be seen with a studious eye. The mark, the size of the tip of a pinky, was that of a four point star.  
  
Alessandra's eyes fluttered open from the light of the moon. She didn't recognize where she was and slowly sat up, and looked around the room. When she saw Severus against the wall everything came back to her.  
  
"He saved me," she heard her voice state meekly. She slowly stood and walked over to where Severus was and leaned down beside him.  
  
Severus' forehead was wrinkled, and it seemed as if he was trapped in a confusing dream. Alessandra studied his face for a moment looking over his thin lips, hooked nose, and his black hair that hung to the nape of his neck. Acting on an impulse she brought her hand up to his face, in a subconscious effort to make sure he was real.  
  
At the feel of her hand on his face, Severus' eyes shot open. Alessandra jumped back a little and stared at the person in front of her.  
  
Severus looked up at Alessandra for a moment before standing and moving towards her.  
  
"You saved me," she whispered looking into his dark eyes.  
  
"I...I guess I did," he stated and looked down at the ground. "We need to find a way back to our common rooms. Do you have your cloak with you?"  
  
"Why?" She asked with a confused tone to her voice.  
  
"Well, I figured that it being the time of night it is, that maybe, a prefect such as you would...."  
  
"No," Alessandra cut him off by placing her long slender index finger gently against his lips. "Why did you save me?"  
  
There was an awkward moment of silence, and then Severus reached up and gently took Alessandra's hand away from his lips.  
  
"It might help me to answer if you weren't blocking my lips," He said as a hint of a smile appeared on his face.  
  
"Oh," Alessandra said, and looked down, not bothering to take her hand out of Severus' grip.  
  
From what Severus could tell she was blushing, for a fleeting moment the thought of his task had no effect on the way that his heart leapt, but it only lasted a moment. His head cleared and he was in his right of mind again, his task back at hand.  
  
"I did it because...." His voice trailed off as he heard footsteps coming towards the classroom.  
  
"They've got to be in here, we checked the other rooms," said one voice.  
  
"What makes you think they are even in one of the rooms?" a somewhat high pitched voice asked.  
  
"Will you two keep your voices down?" hissed another.  
  
Suddenly the door opened and in the doorway stood James, Sirius and hidden in the shadows behind them, Peter.  
  
There was a moment of silence, James took a step forward, and stopped when he saw their hands. His face went red with fury, and he gave Sirius a slight nudge, but Sirius had already locked his eyes on the sight.  
  
Severus automatically dropped Alessandra's hand and took a step back.  
  
Sirius started to charge forward, but James stuck out his arm and stopped him.  
  
"Come on, he deserves it," Sirius growled. James reached behind him, and Peter placed something in his hand, he brought his hand back around again, and it held an invisibility cloak, and he threw it to Alessandra.  
  
"You left that out by the lake," James stated with a cold look. "Now go up to bed."  
  
Alessandra opened her mouth to protest, but closed it just as quickly. A look of fury crossed her face, and finally she was able to speak. "Who are you to boss me around?"  
  
There was a steely look that passed through her brother's eyes as they met hers, as far as she was concerned that settled the argument.  
  
Severus' focus was taken away from James and Sirius as he watched Alessandra slip the invisibility cloak on, and disappear.  
  
James, Sirius and Peter moved out of the doorway, and waited a minute until they were assured that Alessandra had left the room and then Sirius started to advance on Severus.  
  
"You dirty little piece of scum!" he yelled as he lunged at Severus.  
  
At the last second Severus felt a pair of hands grab his arm and pull him out of the way, and just as quickly felt a thin watery material being placed over him. He tried looking out to his surroundings, but all was clouded by what looked like a watery cloud. He still felt a grip on his arm, and looked down to see who had a grip on him, and looked right at Alessandra. She hadn't left after all.  
  
"Where in great Hades did he go?" yelled an irritated Sirius, his arms flying in every direction, searching the place where Severus had been standing.  
  
Alessandra took a step closer to Severus to make sure they were completely concealed under the invisibility cloak, and looked over at her brother, who seemed to be looking straight through the invisibility cloak. Alessandra held her breath as she saw her brother clench and unclench his fists and finally look away, and move towards Sirius.  
  
"C'mon, he's obviously gone, we need to get back to the common room before someone comes in here," James said as he grabbed Sirius' arm and proceeded to drag him out of the room. Peter shut the door behind them.  
  
Severus looked around at the quiet room and then back down at his arm, which Alessandra was still gripping tightly.  
  
After a few minutes Alessandra released her grip and took the invisibility cloak off of them both and then turned to face Severus.  
  
"Okay, we're even now," she stated with finality in her voice. "Go back to your house by whatever means you used to get out, and with that she started to put the cloak back on, but Severus caught her wrist and spun her around, which caused her to fall into him.  
  
Caught completely by surprise all she could so was look up into his eyes as he looked down to hers.  
  
Severus' mind clouded over and it was hard for him to think. With the slightest hint of a plea in his voice he whispered, "I just need one thing before I go."  
  
Alessandra straightened herself slightly, but Severus refused to let her go.  
  
"What?" Alessandra squeaked, but it didn't take long for her question to be answered as Severus placed one hand gently on one of her cheeks and lowered his lips down to hers.  
  
Before she could protest their lips met and Severus hungrily pulled her body closer to his. Alessandra's arms flew up to his shoulders, and her right hand found a pressure point and squeezed with her might. Severus let out a little scream and let loose his grip on Alessandra.  
  
The cloud that was blocking Severus' mind quickly evaporated and a sudden fit of fury swept over him and he advanced on Alessandra.  
  
A cry escaped out of Alessandra's throat as she backed up against one of the cabinets in the room. As soon as her back hit the cabinet Severus grabbed both her wrists and pinned them to either side of her body, and again lowered his lips to hers in a rough, forceful kiss. Alessandra's head began to swim, and she lost all aspect of reality.  
  
Severus felt her freeze up, and he reluctantly pulled away, and realized what he did when he saw the look in her eyes. She had zoned out, and didn't even realize that he had pulled away. He didn't want to startle the girl like this, he just couldn't help himself. Her lips were like intoxicating liquor that one could easily become addicted to, and in one brief moment he had.  
  
Severus gently placed his hand on her cheek, and looked into the dead cold eyes. "Alessandra, snap out of it," his voice came out a little harsher than he had hopped.  
  
As if her spirit had just returned to her body she blinked and then focused on him. "Please, let me go," she asked in a shaky, pleading tone.  
  
In those four words Severus felt a deep pain in his chest that he had never experienced before. He stood for a moment looking into her pleading eyes then lowered his hand and took a step back.  
  
At that Alessandra hastily grabbed her invisibility cloak, and threw it on over her. A moment later, Severus saw the door open and close, and his composure melted, and he crumbled to the floor.  
  
"What's wrong with you?" Severus asked himself, angrily. "She's just a girl," but even as he said that he knew that she was not just any girl. She was the girl who had managed to stir an item of him that had been dormant for quite a time, his heart.  
  
Alessandra whispered the password to the Fat Lady and entered into the Gryffindor common room. Upon entrance a pair of arms wrapped firmly around her, and her invisibility cloak was ripped from her body. The arms released themselves from around her, and the possessor stood in front of her.  
  
She stared in amazement at her messy haired brother whom held a look of fury mixed with concern in his brown eyes.  
  
"I'll take this," He stated, holding up her invisibility cloak.  
  
Alessandra's eyes narrowed. "I think not," she stated defiantly.  
  
"I don't believe you have a say in this," Another voice stated from behind her.  
  
Alessandra spun around to see an middle aged, stern lady with square framed glasses and her hair in a neat bun.  
  
"Professor McGonagall!" Alessandra cried out incredulously.  
  
"Yes, Ms. Potter," Professor McGonagall stated as she took the cloak from James. "I am extremely disappointed in you. I have known for some time about your nightly escapades, but to go out to the lake on a full moon, you have more sense than that Ms. Potter. After tonight's events I have no choice but to confiscate this item until the end of the school year."  
  
"But..." Alessandra began to protest but was cut of by Professor McGonagall turning on her heel to leave.  
  
"Good night Ms. Potter," and with that the Professor exited out of the Gryffindor common room.  
  
Alessandra stood gapping at the portrait hole, then spun around to face her brother.  
  
"How could you!?" Alessandra screamed not bothering to keep her tone down.  
  
"It is my duty to see to the well being of..." James began, but was cut off when Alessandra's palm connected to his cheek.  
  
"Damn," James cussed as he grabbed his face.  
  
"Quit your holier than thou bull shit," Alessandra growled at her brother. "You never gave a shit about me, you only cared that I decided to help Severus escape from you and Sirius' little fighting match."  
  
"Severus?" James asked in a mocking tone. "What are you suddenly on a first name basis? Wait, I suppose you aren't even a virgin anymore are you? You and Snape having activities on the side have you?"  
  
That was being pushed over the edge, and he should have known it.  
  
"Is that what you think I am?" Alessandra's voice came out in a low sob.  
  
James realized he had gone too far when he saw the hurt look in his sister's face, and the tears swelling up in her eyes. He quickly became apologetic.  
  
"I didn't mean it, Alessandra. I only..." but before James saw what was coming he was huddled on the ground in a fetal position clutching his man hood.  
  
"Well I meant that!" she stated in an infuriated tone before running up the stairs to the girl's dorm. 


End file.
